A Generation Comes of Age

It is hard to profile the people who came to demonstrate in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. They were young and old, secular and religious, Jew and Arab, from the center of Israel and from the periphery. Some were protesting against economic inequality, others were demanding political change or challenging the government to be much more accountable, most included in their protest an emotional plea to finally end the five-year imprisonment of Gilad Shalit.

The common denominator was that they have all been inspired into action by a handful of idealistic young Israelis, who three weeks ago decided that time had come to act on their generation’s responsibility and display the leadership expected of them.

The atmosphere was electric and impassioned, but good natured and high-spirited. It is a credit to the democratic foundations of the State of Israel that 280,000 people can protest openly and without fear, a privilege not granted to any of our neighbors. I stood in the dense crowd, in the heat of an uncomfortable humid Tel Aviv night, and watched the crowd move aside to let an old man push his frail mother ‘s wheel chair to the front of the crowd, where she insisted on holding high the sign that she had brought with her.

This is a no less important junction for those people living in Jewish Communities overseas. Ensuring that Israeli society will continue to be a source of pride is critical not only to Israelis but also to the future of the Jewish People. This is a time for members of Jewish communities and supporters of Israel to ask where it is appropriate for them to get involved, where they could partner with Israelis, and what may be the most effective vehicles for doing so. The crisis in the stock market, and the lowering of credit ratings in the USA should not make this conversation less relevant, quite the opposite.

No matter what happens to this protest, it is clear that the claim that an apathetic and cynical younger generation may lead to the demise of Israeli society was premature. This generation came of age in the hot summer of 2011, and has assumed the baton of responsibility. The struggle to correct what ails, and to create a society based on social justice is still ahead of them, but we should be comforted by the knowledge that we are apparently in good hands.

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The cries for social justice and a new social contract are genuine. They express an underlying sense of hope for the future, particularly in equitable housing and education as well as a demand to maintain quality health. I see the protest movement based on our prophetic values of Tikun Olam and looking for “Tzedek and not Tzedeka” (which here ironically is seen as a translation of “charity” which I believe fundamentally is philosophically about creating justice as a Jewish People). They are calling out for social solidarity which clearly has been eradicated over the years, with more western influences of individuality and less a sense of social cohesion. This solidarity must be based on fairness which will strengthen everyone’s overall sense of belonging to the collective. The August 11, 2011 op-ed by Ari Shavit in Ha’aretz focuses on this sense of solidarity as one of the movement’s strengths http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-s-revolution-must-not-become-a-missed-opportunity-1.378098

The questions are 3 fold- 1) will the demonstrators have the stamina to play this out? 2) Is there actual openness in the current government to engage in a discussion and then implement significant changes? 3) will this bring about changes in the makeup of a new Knesset eventually?

If the 1st question is negative then there will be no real pressure on the government and only window dressing change can be expected. If this will be the case it will result in wide-spread dismay and even more dissatisfaction particularly among young educated Israelis. This could lead to increased emigration from the country. It would not be stemming from a lack of economic security (which one may have thought would be the trigger) but more so from a deeper place of feeling left behind by one’s own country. As such one may look to live in a different country where one just doesn’t belong to begin with and so have less investment in the welfare of the inhabitants and the society. The committee that the government appointed, holds out some hope, as the head of the committee, Professor Manuel Trachtenberg, is perceived as the right person at the right time. He is open to, and sympathetic with, many of the demands of the protesters and in fact was part of the paper entitled “Vision and Strategy for Economy and Society in a Global World” prepared by the US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation in 2008. This was a road map of how to refocus Israeli society towards 2028, and was almost adopted by the Israeli government as policy under Olmert just before his overnment fell, and was then not pursued under Netanyahu.

If the demands continue there is still a real enigma out there if the Netanyahu world view can actually change. Many feel that as with the settlements and mistrust of the Palestinians and Arabs, that the current government is incapable of real change, despite the Trachtenberg appointment. They will likely engage in a process of “divide and rule” trying to give in to some of the less in-principal demands and thus letting out the steam from the underlying call for a new social contract. The new social contract is not asking to go back to socialism, but is demanding to go back to more State commitment to its citizenry. They expect that, working and serving the country should be rewarded by a less stressful life allowing one to live in a more honorable existence without having to scramble each month to just make ends meet. There is a sub-text that comes up from time to time, and that is of course looking to change the government priorities away from, or less highly invested, in 3 areas a) benefits for the Haredim b) investments in the
territories c) reducing the defense budget and moving those resources to other avenues. There is also a call for a more equitable tax system that will tax the well to do more heavily and ease the burden on the weaker and middle classes. This is particularly in the areas of lessening the “indirect taxes” such as VAT, property taxes, and “hidden taxes” such as on petrol, imports etc. and to increase the direct taxes in additional tax brackets to tax the very wealthy as well as increased capital gains etc.

As to the 3rd question of the makeup of the new Knesset in a year or so from now- that is in many ways the hardest question. We all know that despite what we hear now, all one needs to bring people to vote “security” is one bomb in a supermarket. I am less optimistic about the public ultimately voting on domestic societal issues. In the end the classic right-left divide in Israel which is only about security will most likely remain. Thus, one should not expect a significant change in the Knesset. This could change if there were major electoral reform, creating districts with real representation. This will not happen soon. Another scenario would be that more authority will be given to the cities, local and regional councils. This is more likely and will address some of the demands for more accountability. If this were the case then there may be a trickling down of central government responsibilities to local authorities leading the public to have a stronger day to day voice (an example of this is the Jerusalem Education Authority). This scenario would alleviate some of the frustration as services would be more provided on the local level.

In conclusion, despite the genuine outcry for change the chances on the short term are most likely slim. However, the hope is that the current government will be open to rethinking its economic and societal polices, and its security and foreign policies. They may simply “throw us a bone”, the result of which would lead to increased frustration and even to a societal depression of some sorts. With that there is clearly much hope and inspiration permeating communities throughout Israel, which is at the heart of this protest movement, and that is our ultimate strength; the inner
belief that individuals and community can define and shape the social and community discourse and policies affecting all of our lives.

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